Culture Warriors category archive

Hanlon:

I’d wager that a big reason the religious right is so adamant that allowing gay marriage will bring about the destruction of society (such as Kirk Cameron claims) is that if gay marriage becomes legal everywhere and civilization doesn’t collapse, it will undermine their authority to the point of tearing it down entirely.

Moral authority abrogated:

Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua ordered aides to shred a 1994 memo that identified 35 Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests suspected of sexually abusing children, according to a new court filing.

The order, outlined in a handwritten note locked away for years at the archdiocese’s Center City offices, was disclosed Friday by lawyers for Msgr. William J. Lynn, the former church administrator facing trial next month.

The new beauty (sic) secret:

Via PoliticalProf.

The (US Supreme Court–ed.) justices on Tuesday rejected appeals from Pennsylvania and West Virginia involving questions about the limits on criticism from students and where the authority of school officials ends.

The high-court decision left standing lower-court rulings that two Pennsylvania students could not be disciplined at school for parodies of their principals that they created on home computers and posted online.

In the West Virginia case, an appeals court upheld the suspension of a student who created a web page that suggested another student had a sexually transmitted disease, and invited classmates to comment.

So there’s one precedent that lets punishment for out-of-school behavior stand one one that does not.

That clears things up nicely.

There’s more about the Pennsylvania case here.

Addendum:

See Glomarization’s comment below. H/T to Glomization, Esq., for casting some light on this.

Down in Florida, one of the speakers for a school career day was a Hooters waitress.

Now, I’m not a big fan of Hooters. I “dined” at one once; I was on a week-long business trip marooned in a suburban motel surrounded by malls and mall-type eateries; along about Thursday, Hooters was the only untried choice left and I figured I should see what the fuss was all about.

Lousy menu and no scotch at the bar.

Also, I find the idea of gawking at the waitresses quite repugnant; I find the stolen glimpse much more exciting than the counter display (also, the waitresses at that particular Hooters weren’t particularly gawkable).

Nevertheless, waiting tables is hard work and generally severely underpaid; I make it a practice never to belittle honest work.

Not so one of the mothers of a student at this high school. Daniel Ruth reports:

Dominicci (the mother–ed.), in an Olympian leap of logic, compared Morgan’s (the waitress–ed.) appearance with that of a former porn star who was invited to a California school to read to students. Lady Chatterley’s Lover, perhaps?

Really now, one could hardly equate serving chicken wings to Debbie Does Dallas.

The mother was concerned Morgan’s appearance would send a negative message to the kiddos that “you’re all bad kids, and this is all you’ll be in life.”

Morgan, who aspires to study psychology and graduate from college, did not appear in Hooters garb, opting for sweat pants and a sweater. She also stressed the importance of hard work, looking presentable on the job, learning to order from a menu, the proper way to tip and the various charitable efforts her employer contributes to the community.

At Mr. Feastingonroadkill’s house.

From Balloon Juice.

My two or three regular readers know I don’t think much of Mitt the Flip, mostly because he seems to embrace, not principles, but polls. His inconstancy of position causes my weather vane to appear a rock of immobility.

Nevertheless, the wingnut flap over his religion is disgusting. If there are such things as unAmerican activities, applying a religious test for office is one of them.

In other news, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention calls the Church of Latter Day Saints a cult with the same relationship to Christianity as Islam, that is, a religion of the book.

Words fail me.

Warning: Mild Language.

Via Mano Singham.